Father John Breck's courageous reflections touch upon a wide and eclectic range of current ethical, biblical, liturgical, and doctrinal matters, as the chapter titles suggest: "Ova for Sale," "Violence against Women," "Fighting Clergy Burnout," "Who Wrote the Books of the Bible?", "Do Icons Really Weep?", and "Nightmares."

These letters of the two Old Men of Gaza - the "Great Old Man" Barsanuphius, and the "Other Old Man" John - were written to hermits, to monks in the community, to those in the choir, to priests, and to lay persons. Some were intended for advanced instruction, while others were intended for novices according to the capacity of the inquirer. These questions and answers evoke the image of the Christian tradition being passed from elder to disciple, and the contemporary reader will be able to appreciate the method - and possibly be inspired to imitate the message.